Illuminable speculum.



PATENTED APR. 2, 1907.

R. H. WAPPLBR.

ILLUMINABLE SPEGULUM.

APPLIoATIoN FILED APB.e,19.

By ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Applicatie; led April 6, 1906. Serial'No. 810,287.

Patented April 2, 1907.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, REINHOLD H. WAP- PLER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident` of the city of New York, (borough `of Manhattan,) in the county and lState of New York, have invented a new and Improved Illuminable Speculum, ofwhich the ollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to illuminable specula-that is, to instruments used generally for looking into dark places-and more particularly employed for examinin cavities in various parts of the human bo y. As is well known, such instruments are mdispensable to surgery and medicine.

My invention further relates to, means whereby the focal range of the cystoscope is modified inv such manner that the particular length of the tube used for the sightbarrel may be varied to suit different conditions and whereby the clearness of the image brought toview is greatly increased. y

My invention further relates to means whereby the i'ield of vision of the observer is enlarged in the sense that the observer is enabled to see objects and portions thereof which are almost directly between his eye and the lens lofthe cystoscope, and therefore ordinarily invisible.

M invention enables the o erator to see the ar side of a surface 'whic "maybe inte osed almost directly between his eye anldJtlie lens.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, formin a part of this specification, in which s' ar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Fi 1 is a longitudinal section through an illuliiieinable speculum embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary section showing the t ee-quarter lens partly broken away and also showing the niountin s for su porting'this lens.

The outerarrel o the device is shown at 3v and is cut away at 4 near one end, as shown in Fig. 1. A sleeve 4 encircles the op osite end of this outer barrel and is provided with a neck 5, having a threaded portion 6, upon which is revo ubly mounted a .clamping-collar 7 for securing a wire 8. A binding-post 9 is supported y the neck 5, and centrally this binding-post is a stem 1.0z which is connected with a wire 11. This wire extends practically the entire length of the outer barrel and engages a terminal 12 of a miniature incandescent lam 13. The other terminal of this lamp is shown at 14 and communicates directl with the outer barrel and through the nec 5 with the wire 8, a wire 15 being secured to the binding-post `9, and the wires 8 and 15 thus together constitute the means whereby the current is supplied to the incandescent lamp, so that the same may be energized in the usual manner. The inner tube is shown at 16 and is provided with an eyepiece 17 and with tubular lens-holders 18 19. The lens-holders contain lenses 2O 21, which are preferably double convex, as shown, but may be of other types. The inner tube 16 slides telescopically into'the outer barrel 3 substantially in the usual manner.

A lens-holder 22 is provided with" a neck 23, threaded externally and screwed into a threaded portion 16a of the inner tube 16. The lens-holder 22 is cut away at 24 and is provided with a bevel 25 u on that side toward the eyepiece 17. T e lens-holder 22 is further drical portion 26, which has the peculiarity that its eometrical center is out of alinement wit theV eometrical center of the inner tube 16-vt at is to say, the enlarged cylindrical portion 26 of the lens-holder is somewhat eccentric relatively to the inner tube 16.

A plu 27, threaded externally, as shown, is revolu ly fitted into the cylindrical -portion 26 of the lens-holder and is provided with a slot 28, whereby it may be turned, and thus screwed into position` and unscrewed therefrom. A wedge 29, having a circular periphery, is disposed within the cylindrical portion 26 of the lens holder and is engaged directly b the inner face of the revoluble plug 27. A ens 30, made of rock-crystal glass or any transparent material, is made in the form of a three quarter sphere-that is to say, the lens would be a sphere except for the fact that about one-quarter of it is cut away, so as to form a plane surface, as indicated in Fig. 2. This lane surface is coated witlia layer 31 of quic silver or other material ca able of reflecting light. The eometrical optical centero the lens is slight? the eometrical center of the inner tube 16 for t e reason above stated-to wit, that the cylindrical` ortion 26 of the lens-holder 22 is eccentric re atively to the tube 16. 30 thus protrudes slightly at the point 30,

The lens rovided with an enlarged cylinyout of alineme'nt with IIO Q i A 849,344

lthis point' being immediately adjacent to the beve and extending outwardly where the outer tube 3 is cut away at 4.

I iind from actual trial that if the geometrical center of the lens 3U-that is to say, the center of curvature of this lens--be placed ever so slightly out of alinement with the axis of the inner tube 16 the range of vision of the observer is increased enormously. So much so is this the case that a very slight protrusion of the surface enables lthe operator to see almost directl backward, as it -were, certain ortions of vhis own face being distinctly visible through the cystoscope. In fact, with a cystoscope approximating a foot in length and provided wlth a lens such as shown, disposed as indicated in Fig. 2, the

observer can see'4 such parts of his own face as are located within an inch or two of his line of vision.' The o tical principles accounting for this apparent y disproportionate bend of the light-rays are'somewhat complicated, and therefore no attempt is made to describe them herein. I find, further, that if there be two of the lenses 20 21, one of these lenses being located approximately near the longitudinal middle of the inner tube, the other being disposed intermediate of this point and the eyepiece 17, the refraction ofthe light-rays takes place in such manner that no difficulty whatever is experienced in causing the device to exhibit a sharp and clear-cut image. Moreover, I find that the relative len th. of the cystoscope-may be varied in wide imits without interfering with this effect, which seems to be due entirely to the fact that two lenses 20 21 are used in the relation'stated. I

range of vision and enables the observer to see backward almost directly in his direct line of vision, Abut also improves the definition of the images observed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination of a tubular member into which the observer looks, a lanospherical lens disposed partially Wthln the l1ne of sight through sald tubular member, the geometrical center of said lens being displaced relatively to the longitudinal axis of said tubular member, and a reflecting-surface disposed adjacent to said plane surface of said lens.

2. The combination of a three-quarter spherical lens provided with a lane surface, a reflecting-surface disposed a jacent to said plane surface, and a tubular member so disposed that its' longitudinal axis asses through a partof said planospherica lens, the relative position of said lens and said tubular member being such that the geometrical center of said lens is displaced relatively to the longitudinal axis of said tubular member..

lIn testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

REINHOLD H. WAPPLER. Witnesses:

JOHN KEIM, Jr., FRANK KAsER: 

